From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (African American Women Veterans in and from Kentucky)
Military Branch
Women's Army Corps
U. S. Army Air Corps
Active Duty Entered
September 1, 1943
Active Duty Exit
December 2, 1945
Notes
Katherine S. Lawson Armstrong was married and living in Lexington, KY when she enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati, OH, according to her record in National Archives, Access to Archival Databases. She was born in Lexington, the daughter of Willie Carter and Willis D. Lawson. The family is enumerated in the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Censuses.
By 1937, Katherine S. Lawson was the wife of Harry Armstrong. They are listed in the Lexingtgon city directory and enumerated in the 1940 U.S. Census. Harry was a porter and Katherine was a waitress. In 1943, Katherine enlisted in the Army. After her military service, she moved to Cincinnati, OH, where she was employed as an elevator operator. She was no longer married to Harry Armstrong. She married Ira Bolden in Cincinnati in 1948. Katherine S. Lawson Armstrong Bolden died in 1988 and is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery.
Resources: U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index in Ancestry; Cincinnati, Ohio Spring Grove Cemetery Index in Ancestry; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death Files in Ancestry; Katherine S. Lawson Bolden in Find A Grave; "Marriage licenses," The Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/5/1948, p. 19; and Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1937, p. 34.
* Prior to 1947, the Army Air Forces was the designation for air elements of the military. The U.S. Air Force became a separate military service with the National Security Act of 1947. There were women who continued in the Army while performing Air Force duties. The following year, 1948, women in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) were able to transfer to Women in the Air Force (WAF). See Women in the Air Force, an Air University libguide.
By 1937, Katherine S. Lawson was the wife of Harry Armstrong. They are listed in the Lexingtgon city directory and enumerated in the 1940 U.S. Census. Harry was a porter and Katherine was a waitress. In 1943, Katherine enlisted in the Army. After her military service, she moved to Cincinnati, OH, where she was employed as an elevator operator. She was no longer married to Harry Armstrong. She married Ira Bolden in Cincinnati in 1948. Katherine S. Lawson Armstrong Bolden died in 1988 and is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery.
Resources: U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index in Ancestry; Cincinnati, Ohio Spring Grove Cemetery Index in Ancestry; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death Files in Ancestry; Katherine S. Lawson Bolden in Find A Grave; "Marriage licenses," The Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/5/1948, p. 19; and Polk's Lexington (Fayette County, KY.) City Directory, 1937, p. 34.
* Prior to 1947, the Army Air Forces was the designation for air elements of the military. The U.S. Air Force became a separate military service with the National Security Act of 1947. There were women who continued in the Army while performing Air Force duties. The following year, 1948, women in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) were able to transfer to Women in the Air Force (WAF). See Women in the Air Force, an Air University libguide.
Kentucky County & Region
Read about Fayette County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Kentucky Place (Town or City)
Read about Lexington, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Outside Kentucky Place Name
Item Relations
Cited in this Entry
| NKAA Source: National Archives, Access to Archival Databases (online) |
| NKAA Source: Ancestry (online) |
| NKAA Source: The Cincinnati enquirer (newspaper) |
Related Entries Citing this Entry
| none |
Cite This NKAA Entry:
“Bolden, Katherine S. Lawson Armstrong,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 27, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/index.php/items/show/300004462.
Last modified: 2023-05-10 17:49:22